Surprise invaded the melancholic silence, shattering it completely, delivering updates both Liam and Lucy should have realized earlier.
Liam had reached the Pale Moon Sect at quite a late hour, and the altercation with Kyle had wasted even more time. After spending so long immersed in the circulation technique, the night had obviously run its course.
And with the morning's arrival came the feared test, which had just become unavoidable. Even if Liam wanted to consider escaping the Sect, it was too late now since the Disciplinary Elder had decided to pick him up personally.
Yet, Liam didn't panic. The situation was hopeless, so he gave up, abandoning any pointless worry or anxiety. If that were to be the unfair end of his journey, he could at least acknowledge that he had done his best.
"For what it's worth," Liam announced, looking meaningfully at Lucy, "Miss Lucy, thank you truly. Know that it has never been my intention to trick you."
The seriousness in those words prolonged Lucy's surprise, and Liam didn't wait for her to recover. He stood up, throwing one last look at the circulation technique, before approaching the partially consumed candle to burn the piece of paper.
Afterward, Liam simply headed for the entrance, pointing the square tablet at it to open it.
"Wait!" Lucy called, a troubling realization settling in her mind when the circular boulder began to open, but it was too late.
The entrance opened, shining cold, grey morning light into the cave. The Disciplinary Elder stood right in front of it, his stance as stern as always, but the scene that unfolded in his eyes threatened to disrupt it.
Liam's face was also stern, his cold, resolute gaze showing no trace of fear when it met the Elders'. He hadn't changed, either, still wearing the black robe from the previous night.
Instead, Lucy quickly hurried toward the entrance, cupping her fist and bowing at the Elder, even greeting him loudly, only for him to spot her disheveled hair.
The Disciplinary Elder suppressed the urge to smirk, but his stern gaze eased a bit, even prompting a comment. "You are full of surprising talents."
Liam frowned in confusion, even glancing at Lucy, but she kept her head lowered to hide her face. Unlike Liam, Lucy knew how the situation looked and what the Elder had meant, bringing an embarrassed blush to her cheeks.
Nevertheless, the Elder didn't waste time or clarify himself. He promptly turned, heading up the path, forcing Liam to follow along.
The path was as empty as the previous night, but Liam's ears told a different story, which his eyes soon became able to see. A crowd of people donning pale-grey robes expanded in his view as soon as he reached the plateau, almost filling that area to the brim.
Liam mostly spotted young faces before everyone performed those iconic bows, greeting the Disciplinary Elder loudly. The crowd had also left a path open for him, which he crossed without hesitation, leading Liam to the main, tall building.
Unlike the plateau, the vast hall was mostly empty, only featuring a middle-aged man and a woman in her thirties sitting cross-legged next to the handrail that separated the wooden floor from a fall that could bring someone directly to the mountain's base.
Liam's animal instincts tingled at the sight of those cross-legged figures. They weren't as hostile as the Disciplinary Elder had been last night, but Liam felt compelled to acknowledge their unclear strength. They weren't ordinary people, but the event had no room for introductions.
A stand as tall as Liam's waist rose between the two sitting figures, a transparent, spherical item resting on the pillow on top of it. The Disciplinary Elder headed directly there, only exchanging a nod with the middle-aged man and woman before stepping aside to clear the path for Liam.
In the meantime, footsteps and whispers resounded among the young crowd outside the building. Those people gathered at the hall's edge, forming relatively orderly lines, their curious gazes glued on Liam.
It seemed the event was highly unusual, turning into an exciting spectacle that had Liam at its center. He understood as much, but his helplessness only deepened.
After all, it had now become utterly impossible to hide or keep private whatever result the test would bring.
"This sphere was inscribed to absorb Qi and display its features," The Disciplinary Elder explained. "Don't be scared and let it draw as much Qi as it needs."
Liam glanced at the Elder, only for him to nod at the spherical item, hinting at what he had to do. So, Liam stepped forward, his hesitant hand reaching for the sphere until the latter took control of the event.
As soon as Liam's fingertips touched that transparent, smooth surface, a pulling force drew his entire palm on it. He instinctively tried to yank his hand away, only for the sphere not to budge, gluing his skin to it.
At the same time, the mystical energy inside Liam began to move on its own, rising from his waist to flow into his left arm and seep into the sphere.
The sphere immediately changed. A dark-green glow began to shine at its center, converging into a seed-like item that radiated obscuring light.
Then, the seed-like item brightened even further, and protuberances grew from it. Three roots shining with the same dark-green color sprouted and expanded, but that was far from the end.
In the next second, three more roots sprouted, intensifying that dark light, only for the seventh to arrive and finally put some interest in the sitting figures' faces.
When the eighth root arrived, the two sitting figures completely turned their heads at the now-dark sphere. As for Liam, he tried to pull back with even more strength at that reaction, but nothing moved.
'Do something, stupid snake!' Liam shouted in his mind, but no hiss resounded in his ears, leaving him alone to witness the situation degenerate even further.
Gasps resounded from the crowd outside the hall when the dark light brightened once more at the birth of the ninth root. The sitting figures also wore proper shock at that point, their eyes widening while their lips parted in pure astonishment.
But the process wasn't over. Liam sensed the sphere drawing even more of his Qi, its eerie, dark light becoming almost blinding. He squinted his eyes, seeing the seed-like item shake, wanting to birth something else, making him desperate beyond reason.
'The Dragon King will find out!' Liam cried in his mind again. 'You'll never get your revenge!'
The silence persisted, and the seed-like kept shaking. A sense of defeat even spread in Liam's mind until a sigh-like, almost annoyed hiss resounded in his ears.
Liam's Qi moved on its own at that hiss. Just like it had happened with Crazy Uncle, his energy got into action, empowering an ability he lacked the skills and knowledge to perform.
A torrent of Qi shot toward Liam's palm, draining him but also disturbing the sphere's absorption, creating an explosive imbalance that overloaded the item.
The dark light suddenly flashed, only to grow far dimmer and stabilize in the next second. Liam breathed roughly and leaned forward as he finally managed to retract his head, finding himself sweating and exhausted.
Yet, despite the exhaustion, Liam still looked up at the sphere, which now featured a long crack alongside its smooth surface, as well as nine glowing dark-green roots in its insides.